Workshop // Workshop on Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystems Nexus Assessment in the Sava River Basin

Meeting the growing water demand without compromising sustainability is a rising challenge in the context of growing population and under the pressure of climate change impacts. It is therefore crucial to better understand the interactions between water, food, energy and ecosystems in river basins, in order to strengthen synergies and policy coherence between the water, agriculture, energy and land management sectors. The assessment of these interdependencies is particularly relevant in transboundary basins, where identifying intersectoral synergies and mutually beneficial solutions can help reducing trade-offs and potential conflicts, not only across sectors but also across borders, as well as supporting the decision-making process to enhance sustainability. Recognising this, the Parties to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) have included in the Work Programme 2013-2015 an assessment of the water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus in selected transboundary basins and established the Task Force on the Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystem Nexus to overview and guide its preparation.

Sessions

-Setting the stage: The regional context -Introduction to the nexus: What is the nexus (in this context)? How it helps policy making? -National development plans and sectoral goals in the Sava river basin -Relevant developments in the Sava river basin -Group work by nexus component — water, energy, environment, land/agriculture -Presentation of the group work and plenary discussion about the plans -Group work — intersectoral linkages and influences -Predicted impacts of the climate change on the Sava river basin (plenary) -Reconciling different uses — potential solutions -Information and sources, indicators and presentation of findings -Further steps of the nexus assessment in the Sava river basin